Method fob processing hydrocarbon



April 17, 1934. J. B. GARNE'R ET Al.

METHOD FOR PROCESSING HYDROCARBON GAS Filed Marlc'h 10, 1927 .20 Referring to the drawing, reference numeral 1 bustion.

25 shown, -is composed of a base .a and a neck 5, poses. When the desired temperature is reached, 75

*50 coil through a meter 31 vto a gas holder (not of gas is burned for one volume of gas treated. 100

Patented Apr. `17, 1934 A 1 l A.'LJNITED STATES PATENT orricE 1,954,991 METHOD Foa Pnooglsssme mmnocAnnoN James B. Garner, Rolla W. Miller, and George Bd Leyden, Pittsburgh, Ia., assignors to Standard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware Applcatiunn March 10, 1927, Serial No. 174,143

3 Claims. (CL48-196) This invention relates to the processing of hyshown). A valved trap 32 is arrangedin the drocarbon gas such as natural gas for the propipe 30 for withdrawal of liquid.` l duction 'of illuminating and heating gases, and A body of incombustible material 33 is placed the like. In a preferred form of the invention, in the tube 1 near the burner 5, for localizing 5 a portion of a stream of natural gas is burned the fiame and other purposes, hereinafter re- 55 within that stream. The hydrocarbons are in ferred to. this way V.modiiied by combustion,V and also by The method in apreferred form is as follows: heat produced from combustion. The gas pro- Gas is admittedv through pipe 10, valve 17, pipe duced is a diluted and altered mixture better 12 and burner 3 to expel the air from tube 1.

adapted foncommercial use than the untreated The gas and air pass through pipes 28, 29 and 60 gas- 30, and are vented at a suitable point. After The invention will be fully understood' from the air has been expelled, the plug 26 is rethe following description, read in connection with moved and the gas is ignited as it issues from the accompanying drawing, in which l, opening 24. Valve 16 in pipe 9 is, opened to let Fig. l is a diagrammatic vertical section air into the burner inV limited amount, forming 65 through apparatus which we have devised for a mixture in which the flame will jstrike back practicing the process; and i to the burner. The gas and air are mixed in the Fig. 2 is a, transverse section on the line II--Il venturi 11. Valves 16and 17 are adjusted so as Cf Fig. 1. to give a gas-air ratio suitable for complete comdenotes a tube or elongated reaction chamber, The plug 26 isl then replaced and the tube 1 is preferably lagged with asbestos 2, or otherwise heated by the burner flame to a temperature bethermally insulated. A burner 3 is mounted in' tween about `'700 and 1200 C. A temperature one end of the tube. The burner, in the form .of around 801)o C. is well adapted for most purthe opening 6 of which is small at the inlet and valve 18 in pipe 12' is opened and natural gas i gradually flares butward. 'I'he base 4 has a cento be treated enters the tube 1.

tra] perforation '7 for entrance of the combus- Under the conditions stated the natural gas tible mixture.' A cap 8 closes the end of the undergoes considerable alteration. It appears 30 tube 1 and carries the base 4. The insulation 2 that there Ais some decomposition or cracking 30 is preferably extended beyond the end of tube 1 of the gas, particularly the formation of olens and is arranged as shown to form a chamber 2. and hydrogen from paraflin hydrocarbons. The Pipes 9 and 10 respectively convey air and gas volume is increased. There is no substantial gas to a venturi 11, or other mixing device, from formation of carbon black or other solid reaction which a pipe 12 leads to perforation 7. Pipe product.

12 supplies gas to the tube 1 through cap 8. The combustion within the'tube 1 has two main Meters 13, 14, and 15, and valves 16, 17, and functions, first to maintain 'a temperature to 18, are installed respectively in pipes 9, 10, and induce reaction in the main bod:1 of gas, and 12'. A thermostatic element 19 in the tube 1 is second to provide a diluent for that gas, in the 40 connected, as by suitable lever arms 20 and 21, form of combustion products. It is well known 90 to regulate a valve 22 in pipe 12. A pyrometer that raw natural-gas has too high a B. t. u. value1 19' is installed in the tube 1. for efficient use, and dilution is therefor desira- The endvof tube 1 remote from the burner is ble. Although a portion of the gas is burned in attached t0 a Cap 23- This has an end Opening thepresent method, the net result is a gain, on 24, `opposite tube 1, and a lateral opening 25. A account of increase oi volume and better utiliza- 95 removable plug 26 is secured in opening 24 and tion of the heat value of the gas. a nipple 27 connects with opening 25. Nipple We prefer to prepare a gas of very low B. t. u. 27 leads into a pipe 28 which passes through a value and mix this in the required proportion condensing coil 29.` A pipe 30'leads from the with ray natural gas. For example, one volume The product (about '76 B. t. u.) is mixed with raw gas (about 1100 B. t. u.) to produce an 800 B. t. u. gas. Various other heat values may of course be produced.

The following examples show the effect of the process on a typical natural gas, such as the following:

After treating, using 1 volume of gas for combustion to 4 volumes of gas for treating, at 900 C. and pressure suilicient only to carry the gas -through the apparatus, analysis showed the following z Treated gas Carbon dioxide 5.1 Propane and higher hydrocarbons 2. 1 Oxygen 0.1 Hydrogen 7. 0 Carbon monoxide 6.0 Methane 19.0 Nitrogen; 60. 7

IIfotal 100.0

This composition of the 'treated gas is characteristic for gases which underwent partial combustion, inasmuch as it still contains a substantialamount of methane.

The process may be carried out under pressure. The incombustible material 33 (broken gas radiants, chips of re brick, etc.) localizes the flame and distributes the heat; Other kinds of refractory materials may be used, as well as catalytic substances.

It is desirable to control automatically the combustion, burning the mixture in a reaction zone whereby the zone is maintained at a temperature between 700 C. and 1200 C., passing another portion of the hydrocarbon gas into and through the heated reaction zone while continuing said burning whereby the gas is cracked and mingled with the products of combustion, and collecting the resulting gaseous products of relatively lower B.. t. u. value per unit volume.

2. The method according to claim 1 in which approximately four times as much hydrocarbon `gas is introduced separately into the reaction zone as is introduced in the mixture of air an'd gas.

3. The method of treating natural hydrocarbon gas of a given B. t. u. value, which comprises mixing a portion of the gas with up to the theoretical amount of air required for complete combustion, burning the mixture ina reaction zone whereby the zone is maintained at a temperature of approximately 800 C., passing another portion of the hydrocarbon. gas into and through the heated reaction zone while continuing said burning whereby the gas is cracked and mingled with the products of combustion to produce a gaseous mixture having a B. t. u. value of approximately 800, andcollecting the resulting 800 B. t. u. gaseous mixture.

JAMES B. GARNER. ROLLA. W. MILLER. GEORGE B. LEYDEN. 

